Trixie Belden and the Mystery at the Lighthouse
by fanfaction lover
Summary: School is out and Trixie and the Bob whites are ready for a summer of fun. But this summer will be without her brother Brian, for he has taken a job working at a lighthouse. There they will find fun and mystery.
1. Chapter 1

'School was out finally. Hooray! shouted the bob-whites of the glen as they ran to the bus for the last time. This was going to be a good summer. They had been making plans all year long for the summer and they were going to have a great time.

As Trixie came into her house, located next door to her best friend Honey, she slammed the door. She heard her mother call to her and tell her "Trixie stop slamming the door." Trixie thought to herself 'how does she know that it's me?'

Trixie's little brother came running into the kitchen to see his sister. He told her "Time to play." as he started to climb up on the chair to reach a cookie. Trixie took her brother and told him "Don't climb on the chair." and she gave him a tap on the butt. He laughed as she handed him a cookie.

Trixie and her brothers loved the farm that they lived on. The name was Crabapple farm, and although it was not as large and fancy as her friend's Honey's house, it was warm and she always felt welcome there when she came home.

Brian came into the kitchen and his mother handed him some mail. He looked at the envelope, it was from a place called Prince Island. The island was located in Rhode Island. He had heard about the place from an article that he had read in a magazine and had applied for a job working there for the summer.

As Brian opened the envelope nervously, he read the letter and smiled. He was offered a job working the lighthouse and working with tourists for the summer. His job if he accepted it would be for the next eight weeks.

Trixie and Brian's mother smiled as she saw the look on his face. She was going to miss him for sure, but this was a great opportunity for him. He would get to go on the boat that went back and forth from the island twice a day and when he was through with work he would be on one of the most beautiful islands that Newport Harbor had to offer She smiled at him and offered him "Congratulations."

Trixie was going to miss her brother, but she swallowed her pride and told him "It sounds like a lot of fun. I hope you like it."

Later on that afternoon the bob whites of the glen met at their clubhouse. There was a lot of talk about Brian and his new job. They would have to make it out to see him at least once that summer, everyone agreed. There were many plans made that afternoon for the summer, and all of the bob-whites of the glen were excited. As they laughed and joked they were sad for just a moment. The clubhouse would be one member short for the summer and they would all miss him.

The following Monday came and Trixie's father and mother put all of the Belden family into the family car. They drove for almost four hours before they reached the dock where Brian would take the boat out to the island. But her mom and dad had a surprise for the family. Because Brian was going to be working there for the summer, they had all been invited to spend the day on the island and see what it had to offer.

Everyone was excited to have a chance to go out to the island, especially Bobby. The ride on the boat was about twenty minutes long and he was jumping up and down wanting to go . Trixie took his hand and showed him the island. It was way off in the distance, but she could see it and Bobby got very excited when he saw it too.

As the family got into the boat they sat back and relaxed. Trixie was very excited and as she felt the mist of the water hit her face, she giggled. They pulled up to a dock and started to carry all of Brian's things. They were met by a man named Dan who ran the island for the tourists. He lived there year round, but during the summer needed the help.

"This island will be booked everyday and there will be up to one hundred tourists a day. Some people come here for the day only, and some people stay as long as two weeks. Brian was given a small room inside the lighthouse. You could hear the water and the ships as they passed . The lighthouse had to be maintained on a daily basis and Brian would learn how to do all of this by the end of the summer.

There was so much to see on the island. The lighthouse was fascinating and as Trixie and Matt climbed to the top of it they looked over the harbor. There was a large bridge that was located just above them. From the lighthouse you could see everything in the harbor. Brian would be maintaining that with Dan. It was a big job and the Belden family was proud that Brian was going to be trusted at such a young age.

One of the nicest things about the island was the fact that there were two beaches located there. Brian would have a great summer. Trixie wished that she was old enough to have a job like this, but Brian was three years older than her. She could wait.

The day at the island went too fast and it was time for the Belden family to leave. Brian had never been away from them for very long and they had never been away from him. Trixie felt as though she was going to cry as she waved to her brother as he stood on the dock.

Trixie knew that she was going to go and see him soon. He could not be left there alone for long it just wasn't right. The ride back home was quiet, as everyone was already missing Brian, but Trixie was already making plans to go and see him.


	2. Chapter 2

The ride home was long and boring and Trixie was having to put up with Bobby who kept pulling her hair. She was going to miss Brian. Heck she already did. She could not wait to get out of the car. It was hot and her two brothers had stuck her in the middle of the back seat.

Because their older brother was going to be gone all summer, she and her brother Mart were going to have to share some of his chores. Trixie was being selfish and she knew it, but she didn't care, she wanted to spend the summer having fun with her friends and the bob-whites of the glen.

The next morning Trixie got up and helped her brother Bobby get dressed. She then helped her mother with the laundry and the vacuuming. She was not done until after ten. But then she ran right up to see her best friend Honey.

Honey was out in the yard with her brother. They were headed to the tennis courts, and Trixie decided to go with them. The rule was that usually the winner would play the next person who was waiting. Honey was very good at the game and usually won. But, today her game was off and Jim won.

Trixie had not learned to play tennis until last year, and she was no match for her friend Jim. He beat her easily, but she took it with a smile. They were the best of friends.

There was the meeting that afternoon and as the three friends went to the clubhouse, they found Mart already there and their friend Di Lynch coming up the driveway.

At the meeting there were lots of questions about the island the lighthouse that Trixie and Mart had been to the day before. They told all their friends about the many sites to see and the fun that they had going there. "I hope that we get to go there this summer and spend some time with Brian."

Everyone there agreed and they all hoped that they could go at some time before the summer was over. The island was near Newport RI and Honey had an uncle Tom who lived there. Maybe she could talk to her dad.

That night Honey's mother and father came home that night after a long business trip and Honey smiled. She saw her brother Jim in the hallway and asked him "I am going to try to talk to mom and dad about us going to Prince Island. Maybe we can all go."

"All we can do is ask." Jim told her with a smile and they hurried down to the breakfast table. The cook was just finishing the breakfast as Honey and Jim came in and saw their mother and father. They took their seats and smiled at their parents.

Honey's father knew that something was up as Honey and Jim were smiling and moving around so much that neither one of them could sit still. He smiled and ask them "Is there something on your mind today children?"

Jim smiled and said "Well, Brian got a job. He is working at a lighthouse on Prince Island in Newport."

Their father looked at their mother and smiled "That is good. When does he start the job?" he asked.

"He went out yesterday. He is going to be there until the end of August. His father smiled and thought of the little lighthouse that he had seen many times from his brother's home. "We must go there this summer, my brother has always wanted us to go there. Perhaps you and Honey could go out to the island and pay Brian a visit sometime this summer.

Jim and Honey smiled at each other. But Honey had other thoughts on her mind. "We were hoping that we could got and stay on the island for a week. There is a place to stay. We can actually sleep in the lighthouse. That is all of us Bob Whites of the Glen?" she told him sweetly.

Money was never a worry at the Wheeler home, as it was at the Belden home. But he was not sure that he could get the lighthouse at such a late time. The island was known to be booked months in advance. "Honey, I am sure that staying on the island would be a lot of fun, but the place books months ahead. I will make a few calls and let you know." her father told her with a wink.

The rest of breakfast went great and Jim and Honey spent most of the morning with their parents. Their parents were apt to be gone for weeks at a time and it was a treat for them to have their parents at home. But there was to be another meeting of the Bob Whites of the Glen at one and Honey and Jim headed to the club house.

Honey could not wait to tell her best friend Trixie what her father had said. But, she thought twice about it. Sometimes Trixie would jump ahead too far. She would wait until she talked to her father.

The meeting was a little boring and Bobby had come up with Trixie. Sometimes when he came it was hard for them to have much of a meeting as he was only six years old. Bobby always wanted to play. So after a couple of minutes they all went outside to enjoy the weather.

Bobby was getting pretty good at learning to ride a horse, as Jim was a good rider. He had dedicated the past few months to teaching Bobby how to ride. Bobby could even saddle his own horse with a little help now.

It was just after five that the friends all headed toward home. As Jim and Honey went downstairs for dinner, their mother and father were still there and were there for dinner also. As the four of them sat down to dinner Mr. Wheeler gave his children a smile. "I have good news for you. I was able to arrange for you and your friends to stay at the island with Brian for the week of July 11 to the 18th. I think it is a good week, the weather should be good and you and your friends will have the island to yourself."

Honey and Jim hugged both of their parents. They were always doing something for them and their friends "I will let everyone know so that they can make plans. Can the whole Belden family go and what about you and dad?"

"Yes we can all go that is the biggest surprise. We have nothing going on that week and up to twenty people can spend the night. If we go over the twenty person limit your mom and I can always stay at my brothers." their father told them with a smile.

The dinner was wonderful that night and when dinner was done Honey ran up to her room to tell Trixie the news. Trixie was yelling hooray so loud that her mom came to her room "Mom, Honey's parents have rented Prince Island for a week and we are all invited to stay there."

Mrs. Belden was so grateful, the Wheelers were always doing things for her and her children. "I will talk to your dad and let you know what he says in the morning. I am sure that you and Mart can go but I don't know if he can get the time off at work." she told her and then she went to the kitchen.

Trixie knew that her dad worked hard and sometimes he could not get away for vacations. She crossed her fingers and tried to cross her toes. She would know in the morning.

The following night when Trixie's dad came home they all sat down to dinner. He smiled at his daughter. Trixie was becoming a young lady. Fortunately, some of Honey appeared to be rubbing off on her. "I have an announcement to make "I was able to get the week off and will be joining you on the island."

Trixie jumped up and hugged and kissed both of her parents. The Bob Whites of the Glen were headed to Prince island in just two weeks and she couldn't wait.


	3. Chapter 3

Trixie was looking forward to the trip to Prince Island. She missed her brother Brian very much. But a week on a private island with the Wheelers and her family, it was a dream come true. Summer was the time for freedom and Trixie wanted to make the best of her time. Everyday she did her chores, and took Bobby with her most of the time. She didn't mind taking him. He was her baby brother and even he was getting older.

Honey was the practical member of the Bob Whites of the Glen , and was packing sensible things. She planned everything, where Trixie was probably going to be packing the day of the trip and would forget almost everything. The two best friends made a good pair.

Trixie and Honey were upstairs in Honey's bedroom when their friend Di knocked on the door. She took a seat on the bed and looked at all the things that Hone was going to be bringing with her on the trip. Di now had money and one of the maids was packing her bag.

But Di had just recently come into money, Honey had always had money and did not like to have her maids go through things for her. She was much more independent.

As the three friends helped Honey Mrs. Trask knocked on the door. She looked at the items that Honey was packing and gave a nod of approval. 'Honey was growing up and was going to be a genuine lady.' she thought to herself as she left the room.'

Finally the day was here and everyone was ready for the long ride to Prince Island. The Beldens piled into their station wagon and their dad had put the luggage on the roof racks.

The Wheelers were going to be riding in the limo and Di was going to ride with them. Jim had been busy packing the limo and smiled as Trixie and her family came up the driveway.

Bobby was jumping up and down and was talking a mile a minute and could hardly sit still. Trixie's father spoke up and he calmed down somewhat. As they approached the boat dock, Trixie pointed to her friends Prince Island . It was about two miles away and they got into the boat together. The boat was a little crowded with all of the luggage, but they fit and sit down to take the twenty minute ride.

As they arrived at the island they were greeted by Brian. He was glad to see his family and friends. The island was great and he had been swimming everyday. But it was lonely sometimes and a little boring if the weather was not good. He e had met several people and had learned how to upkeep a lighthouse.

Dan was up at the lighthouse getting the place ready for Brian's family. The Wheeler family was a very famous family here in Newport and he wanted to make sure that the lighthouse was especially clean on this day. When he saw them arrive he hurried down to the dock to help bring their luggage up to their room.

Everyone walked up the lighthouse and Honey and her parents were impressed. Jim went and looked over the rocks and onto the beach. He thought that the view was wonderful. With that he went up to his room that he was going to be sharing with Mart. It was a smaller room and there were bunk beds in the room. Jim and Mart flipped for who got the top bunk and Jim won.

Mr. and Mrs Wheeler took the room that was the fog horn house. It was a large room with a full view of the harbor. They both liked the room and after settling down for a few moments went out to the living area where they met the Beldens.

Mrs. Belden smiled at them and thanked them once more for the chance to spend the time there with their son. "We hate to admit how empty the house has been without Brian." she told them as she looked out of the window and saw the children already playing down by the beach.

Brian went down to where the rest of the Bob Whites were and smiled. He had missed them and even though the island was beautiful he missed his home Crab Apple Farm, and his friends. As Brian sat down on one of the many chairs Trixie and the rest of the group sat around him.

"I have been waiting for you to come. There are a lot of geese here on the island and you have to be careful. They can be a little mean sometimes and very protective of their eggs. But just beyond here is the old army barracks. They were used as far in the past as the revolutionary war. They say it is haunted. Ghost hunters have been out here twice since I have been here. There are so many things to explore."

But today was hot and the group wanted to go swimming There were two beaches on the island, and no one but their group could use them without their permission. As the Bob whites of the Glen went in the water, they all had a great time. The Beldens and the Wheelers both came down and joined them at the beach. By the end of the day, they all sat around the large table on the outside and had a barb q together. Prince Island was going to be a great place for them to spend the next week.

That evening as the group sat around the camp fire they watched the many sailboats that went by. With the lights that were hung from the bridge just over their heads, the scene was absolutely gorgeous. They watched as the light from the lighthouse circled watching for danger. Brian took Jim and Mart up to show them what he was doing and they waved from the top of the lighthouse to the group below.

Trixie looked at the old army barracks. She wanted to go and explore there tomorrow. But tonight there would be a large campfire and time with her family and friends. Honey saw Trixie looking at the old barracks and shook her head yes and smiled to her best friend.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day came early at the Prince Island Lighthouse. Brian was busy doing things around the island and Honey was taking a rest on one of the large chairs that sat above the rocks. It was going to be a hot day and Trixie wanted to go into the old barracks.

Jim volunteered to go with her and as the two of them made their way to the long old stone building, they looked around. There were five separate rooms, each having their won door and everything was made of stone. The chairs everything. Trixie thought of how uncomfortable it must have been there.

As Trixie and Jim went through each room they thought about the people who had once called this place home. The place was cold and dark and each room had only one fireplace for warmth. Jim had lived out in the cold when he had run away and he remembered how cold it could get in the winter.

As they went around the corner at the end of the barracks they ran into one of the geese that resided there on the island. The goose was not friendly and honked a warning as they approached. But Jim was not afraid of him and as he continued toward the goose the goose ran off.

But to Jim's amazement, he found an old rusted medal of some sort on the ground. He turned it over and tried to look at what he had found, but it needed a thorough cleaning. Trixie looked at the piece and thought that it looked as though it was very old.

They both thought of the story of the barracks being from as early as the revolutionary war and they decided to ask Dan if he knew anything about the medal.

As they approached the group that had now gathered outside of the lighthouse, they showed them the medal. Mr. Wheeler took the medal in his hands and said that it would indeed need a good cleaning, but it looked to be a sort of medal that someone who had some medical background would have.

Dan came down to the group and saw that they were all talking about something that they had found. There were lots of things on the island to hunt for and many times the geese had found interesting things. They liked shiny objects and were good at taking them and hiding them in their nests." he told them.

So the Bob Whites of the Glen had another mystery to solve. Who was the person that had received a medal for his service? Dan had something that would help with the cleaning of medals. He had found antique things at the island many times and had bought some stuff that would wash off most of the rust without hurting the medal.

Dan showed Trixie and Jim how to clean the medal and they went to work on it. They needed to leave it in a solution for the next two hours. Trixie wanted to stand there and wait, but the rest of the Bob Whites had something else on their mind. This was a vacation as well. So Trixie and Honey went up to the top of the lighthouse and took a seat on the outside.

From the top of the lighthouse the view was breathtaking and they could watch all the sailboats in the harbor. Every once in a while a boat would go by close enough to the island and they would wave to the people. The two hours were finally up and Trixie and Jim met in the kitchen to see what the medal was hopefully.

The medal was still hard to identify, but they could see that Honey's father had been right. It was a medical medal and it was now time for them to find out more about it. They went upstairs to the small library and started to look for different things that had been found on the island before. Each and every article that had been found on the island that was known was in this book along with a picture.

As the day dragged on Trixie and her friends had no luck finding out what the medal was for. Dan came up and smiled at them. "I have good news for you. There is a friend of mine who lives in Newport. He is very interested in the medal that you found and he would like to meet with you the day after tomorrow here on Prince Island."

Jim and the rest of the Bob Whites thanked Dan and put the medal away carefully in one of the showcases. They would enjoy the time with their families until Dan's friend came out.

Trixie had always been one to do things on a whim, and this was no different. She wanted to spend the night in one of the old barracks room. 'After all when would she and the Bob Whites have another chance to spend the night in a revolutionary barracks again?' she reasoned to herself.

At first Honey and Di had second thoughts on the prospect. It was dark in the rooms and they had heard that it might be haunted. But Jim and Mart offered to spend the night. in the room next door and everyone agreed.

The Belden's and the Wheelers were a little nervous, but they finally decided that it would be all right with them. As long as the group stayed together and knew that they were not to go wandering the island alone, they allowed them to go spend the night in the barracks.

Because of the way the island was set up everyone had brought a sleeping bag and as they laid theirs out on the cold stone floor of the old army barracks, they were excited. The boys came in and they sat around until after ten telling ghost and campfire stories. The strange glow of the fire from the fireplace made the stories even scarier. When the boys left the girls climbed into their sleeping bags hiding their faces, because they were so scared. The boys laughed as they left the room and went into their own room.

Trixie could not sleep and when she looked over at her two friends she could see that neither one of them were sleeping either. Honey and Di's eyes were wide open and staring around the room looking for anything that might jump our in front of them. Trixie laughed but then heard a sound and climbed under her sleeping bag too.

Mart and Jim spent the night sleeping only on and off too. They had heard too many stories and every time there was a noise they woke up and jumped.

The five friends were glad when the sunlight finally showed threw the window on the door. They went up to the lighthouse and found Brian and Dan already at work cleaning up the yard. Brian smiled at the motley crew and asked "Did you have a good nights sleep?"

They all shook their heads yes and Brian laughed. "You are not fooling your old friend Brian. Two weeks after I came here there was no one staying in the barracks, so I decided to give it a go. I have never had such a bad nights sleep in my life. That was when Dan told me that he too had tried once. You don't get much sleep there."


	5. Chapter 5

Each day on the island was fun with swimming and playing. There was a volleyball net in the yard and they all joined in even their parents. Trixie thought it was funny to see Honey's parents playing volleyball but they were actually good at it.

There was good fishing off of the dock that sat outside also and Brian and Dan cooked them a good dinner that night from a catch that they had gotten earlier in the day. They ate outside and cooked the fish outside also. There was a large circle around a fire pit and everyone relaxed as they enjoyed their time together.

The day came when Mike Cranson was due to come to the island to tell them about the medal. The boat arrived at the dock at ten that morning and the bob whites all met him as he landed. He was very familiar with the island and had been on it many times. The island was full of surprises and things were always showing up. Many times people had found items on the island after a storm or from a frantic goose. He was intrigued by what his friend had told him, though and was looking forward to seeing the old medal.

Mike was a bit of a local historian and had looked into the history of the island for the past ten years. It had been used during the revolutionary war as barracks and then shortly after that it was used as a typhoid hospital. He thought that was what the group had found. The barracks had been used right up until World War I though and the medal could be from anywhere during those one hundred and fifty years.

As he went into the lighthouse, he sat down and Jim brought him the medal. That was indeed what they group had found. It had belonged to a captain or better, and he had been a doctor. The insignia was from around the turn of the nineteenth century. It was not quite revolutionary war era but it was very old and rare indeed. It was quite a find.

Mike knew that the group would like to keep the medal, but he told them that it would be something that could be saved and seen by everyone who came to the island if he was allowed to place it in a display case.

Both Jim and Trixie knew that was what should be done. The medal had survived over two hundred years on the island and that is where it belonged.

Dan smiled at his new friend and said "I will tell you what I can do for you, though. I can put a note in the case thanking the Bob Whites of the Glen for their donation and Trixie and Jim's picture could be put on the wall with the medal in their hands."

Trixie and Jim were honored, but they wanted a picture of the whole group taken. Even though, they were the ones that found the medal, they were here with their families and friends. So Dan took a picture of the whole group including Brian and the picture was developed. They put the medal in the case and the picture was hung on the wall right above the case for all to see.

Trixie and Honey's parents were proud of the two friends and how they had shared the discovery with the rest of their friends and family and had stood proudly for the picture. Even Bobby had stood still.

The end of the day came too soon and it was time for Brian to go up to the lighthouse and get it ready for the night. They watched once more in awe as the lights were lit on the bridge. The sight was very beautiful and as they all sat out on the lawn for there were only two nights left they all spoke about coming back.

The next morning the group had a surprise visit from Mr. Wheeler's brother. He came to visit with his boat and invited everyone to take a ride. He also offered to let them go water skiing. Trixie had never been but Honey and Jim were experts. They showed all of the Belden family how to get ready and water ski.

Carl Wheeler was younger than Honey's father, and had blonde windswept hair. He had a large boat and did not mind a bunch of kids riding with him. Everyone got a chance to drive the boat, it was a great day.

Trixie was the first of the Beldens to try their luck at water skiing. As Trixie finally got up and started to ski she couldn't believe how the water felt. It was warm as it sprayed her in the face and she stayed u for three passes by the island. She waved to her family who were outside watching her and the boat. Each one of them took their turns and with a little effort they all managed to get up.

Bobby was very young but he was a good swimmer and he begged to try his luck. Jim, who was the best water skier and swimmer volunteered to take Bobby out. Five times he tried to get up and everyone thought that he might be too young but on the sixth try he got up and did a pass by the island.

Everyone was amazed and waved and laughed. It had been a great day and that night there would be lobsters and clams for dinner. Mr. Wheeler had his brother pick up some and bring it to the island. Dinner was once more a great time for everyone and before Uncle Carl left he took them on one more ride under the bridge and the lights. The sight was beautiful and everyone had a great time.

The morning came soon the next day and it was time for the family to leave the island. Everyone was going to miss the island and especially Brian. He would be coming home in four weeks and then school would be starting once more. Trixie wished that they could stay there longer but another group was due to come that morning. Trixie thought with pride of their picture and the medal and got on the boat to go home with a smile and a tear as she waved good-bye to her brother once more.


End file.
